Spray actuators/nozzles are used to dispense fluids from a variety of different containers. The product dispensing containers may hold one or a combination of different ingredients, and typically use a permanent or temporary pressure force to discharge the product contents from the container. If the container is an aerosol can, for example, one or more chemicals or other active ingredients to be dispensed are usually mixed in a solvent and are typically further mixed with a propellant to pressurize the container. Known propellants include, for example, carbon dioxide, various hydrocarbon gases, or mixtures of hydrocarbon gases such as a propane/butane.
The active/propellant mixture may be stored under constant, but not necessarily continuous, pressure in an aerosol can. A dispensing valve is mounted in the top end of the container and is normally located in a closed position. An actuator is coupled to the dispensing valve for actuating the dispensing valve into the open position. The sprayed product to be dispensed may exit in an emulsion state, single phase, multiple phase, and/or partial gas phase and may include insect control agents (such as propellant, insecticide, or growth regulator), fragrances, sanitizers, cleaners, waxes or other surface treatments, and/or deodorizers.
The spray patterns generated by conventional nozzles are not particularly well suited for many household applications. Conventional nozzles typically generate a conical spray jet which, in turn, leads to inconsistent, uneven coverage of a surface. Additionally, when treating a flat surface of a rectangular shape, for example, it is often very difficult to reach and spray the entire surface with a conical-shaped spray jet. More specifically, a conical-shaped spray jet cannot reach corners without also partially reaching adjacent surfaces, leading to overspraying. Other nozzles are known which produce a relatively flat fan-shaped spray jet. While a fan-shaped jet is able to reach corners more reliably without overspraying, the product to be dispensed is not distributed uniformly across the entire spray pattern and the relatively flat pattern requires excessive movement by the user to reach the entire surface to be covered.